Sudanese Adam Noureldin wins ITF East African Circuit 2013 Mombasa 3

NEWS ARTICLE

The ITF East Africa 18 & under circuit came to an end over the weekend in Mombasa, Kenya. The Circuit was earmarked for the top 18 & under juniors in the region featured 18 boys and girls from the region and other players from various countries worldwide. The three legs of the circuit were held in Mombasa and proved to be very competitive.

Second seed Adam Noureldin from Sudan and Dylan Alec Foo-Kune from Mauritius were the only two African boys to reach the boys singles quarterfinals of the first leg. Noureldin faced Ricardo Roberto from Italy losing to a fierce battle 46 64 62 – Roberto (ITA) later became the runner-up of the first leg, as Adrian Andrezejczuk from Poland took home the first title.In the boys doubles the number one seeds Noureldin Adam and Dylan Alec Foo-Kune paired up reaching the semifinals.

In the girls singles draw, Kenyan player Stephanie Mbaya fought her way through the first leg, securing a place in the semifinals where Stephanie lost to tournament winner, Lexie Stevens (NED) who went on to beat Alena Mashtakova (RUS) 62 61 taking home the girls singles title. In the girls doubles third seeded pair Mariam Mujawimana of Burundi and greek Emilia Katopodi battled against the Kenyan pair Stephanie Mbaya and Chizi Mutsumi 7-6(7) 6-4 securing a place in the semifinals.

In the second tournament African Adam Noureldin once again easily secured a spot in the quarterfinals winning all his matches in straight sets. Tanzanian Goodluck Shelemo Molell showed promising results until he was up against second seed and runner-up Voglgruber in the third round where he was defeated 63 61.

In the girls doubles Mariam Mujawimana (BDI) and Emilia Katopodi (GRE) reached the quarterfinals where their presence ended as they were defeated by Rufaro Chirewa from Zimbabwe and Nikola Matuszak from Poland 64 64.

In the third tournament East African Noureldin Adam stormed into the finals to face Dylan Alec Foo-Kune from Mauritius showing outstanding results and guaranteeing the first East African singles title in the boy’s circuit. It was not a surprise that the match went to a tie break on the first set, Dylan kicked off on a good start putting enough pressure on Noureldin’s serve, and the entire game was a closely contested affair. Noureldin picked up in the tie break to win the first set and he played with ceaseless effort, ending the match in a 76(5) 63 victory. In the boy’s doubles Noureldin Adam paired with Ghassan Allansi from Yemen won the doubles event in the second and third leg of the Mombasa circuit.

Ms Paurvi Rawal, Kenya Lawn Tennis Association (KLTA) said: "Year after year this tournament is becoming more prestigious by having many more participants". Ms Rawal thanked the ITF for their continued support not only in Kenya but in the region. She encouraged the players from the region to take advantage of this support and make the most out of this opportunity.